Following the Sun

Today’s sun rose just after take-off from Tegel airport, and it set as we were crossing the Illinois Wisconsin border on a bus. The last day of the year was unnaturally long, more than twice the length it would have been had we stayed put. Continue reading →

No Man’s Land

For our last Sunday in Berlin this year, we took a walk in the fleeting sunshine, past a house that had been built by a Turkish man when the wall was still up. He took advantage of some confusion about where the border really was, and in true squatter style, built his house and garden … Continue reading →

Renovation

Two buttons lost, a third removed, four new ones purchased, one sewn inside in preparation for a future loss. Smoked fish from Christmas eve renewed two days later with crème fraiche, dill weed, and fresh horseradish. Served with crackers. Continue reading →

Urlaub

In the darkness of the longest night of the year, the freeway suddenly ended. Hundreds of kilometers from our destination, we were forced to navigate the small roads and villages of Saxony. Thankfully, we had a full tank of gas. Continue reading →

B1 German, apparently achieved

Threshold or intermediate. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Continue reading →

A question

The inhabitant on the 3rd floor left his keys in the door after he went inside. A bundle of keys on a ring, dangling from the lock, begs a question. Should I knock on his door and invade his privacy, or should I leave him in peace and let him find the keys himself? I’m … Continue reading →

House and Homo 7

This is a photo of the key to my girlfriend’s Berlin apartment. It is most likely from the 1920s. It must have been quite standard for the time, because the building is a tenement building like many others. Today, there is no locksmith in the city that could make a copy. Continue reading →

Tarot Card Reading

Looking good. Continue reading →

The pleasures of hacking at home

A new high-tech purchase was disappointing for its lack of transparency for the user and its vulgar consumerist agenda. A hack provided a strong sense of satisfaction as well as a practical solution. My hacker, my hero. Continue reading →

House and Homo 5

Mirrors are often placed in the entry hall, so it is in my new Berlin office. They are helpful for a last minute check on the way out: Hair actually too messy? Lipstick on teeth? Such glances increase the danger of leaving late. On the way in, the mirror shows the effects of the outside … Continue reading →